Some years back I had a Rav 4 that had the radiator spring a leak. I tried using a bottled radiator leak repair solution, which kind of worked for a while, but less than a month later it was back to refills.
Well the car was old, had like 150k miles on it, and so wasn’t about to pay someone to fix it. Fortunately my dad, on top of being a firefighter, had also been a mechanic. As in professional paid for it mechanic. And for years while working had also done some car repairs out of the garage for money. He also is the type of person who restores classic cars as a hobby.
Anyhow so I have this collection of every tool available, and someone whom has the knowledge. So I shuffle off to pay the $60 or so for a new radiator. My dad retains a passive position, and clearly I am to do this myself, or at least until such as a time as that proves unworkable. So, after consulting the internet for a few pointers (YouTube wasn’t quite as ubiquitous for such things yet, so good old text and images), I started the work.
Well this Toyota was not an easy machine to fix. Everything was so tight in the engine compartment that taking out the spark plugs required a special tool, and thin arms to reach between the engine block and the firewall. Changing the water pump required removing the engine from its bolts, dismantling the passenger wheel well, and lifting the engine so you could pull it out through the wheel. The radiator was no different.
In the end I had to remove the fender, disconnect all hoses and remove the brackets for the air filter system, remove a brace that ran across the engine compartment behind the radiator, and then I could remove the radiator by twisting it in a very specific manner while lifting it up. Repeat in reverse to install the new one.
And it worked. Though it wasn’t YouTube, it was still using the internet to get me past a few bumps along the way. That and a car old enough that, if it broke irrevocably during the procedure, it would be no great loss. My dad never had to get involved.
I like to think I absorbed some of his mechanical knowledge through osmosis.